Grade 3 Social Studies

We Are Model Citizens and Learners

Unit Sketch

This cross-disciplinary mini-unit launches the year with a short focus on the ACS Core Values and Approaches to Learning while building classroom community, routines and rules/expectations. All grades will be exploring these ACS foundational documents as well as the essential Responsive Classroom practices of Morning Meeting, Energizers, Closing Circle, Goals, and Teaching Discipline. In addition, grades 3 - 5 integrate the CCSS Speaking and Listening standards for collaborative conversation as they establish rules/expectations for classroom discussions.

Enduring Understandings

Students will understand that...

  • Communities of learners rely on everyone's responsible participation.

  • Groups of people (families, classrooms, institutions, etc.) make rules to create responsibilities and protect freedoms.

  • People benefit from and are challenged by working together.

  • Model ACS Citizens demonstrate core values and approaches to learning when interacting with one another.

Skills

Students will be able to...

  • Identify purpose, create and adopt classroom rules

  • Review and demonstrate classroom routines (bathroom, transitions, lining up, walking in the hallway, raising a hand to ask a question)

  • Follow the sequence of a morning meeting (greeting, sharing, group activity, morning message)

  • Follow the sequence of a closing circle (quick share, song or chant)

  • Use deliberative processes when making decisions or reaching judgements as a group

  • Identify ACS Core Values and develop scenarios that demonstrate them

  • Identify ACS Approaches to Learning and develop scenarios that demonstrate them

  • Identify "if...then" scenarios and actions that reflect core values and approaches to learning

  • Identify rights and responsibilities of themselves as "classroom citizens" and "ACS citizens"

We Are Social Scientists

Unit Sketch

In this one-week launch, students consider the disciplines of social science as they relate to themselves. Each lesson asks students to consider one type of social scientist with the Social Scientist Card Deck and to explore the various discipline-specific questions and tools. There are short activities for each discipline to be put in the interactive notebook. At the end of the week, students create an annotated I am a Social Scientist! Poster that provides reasons that support their claim: I am a Social Scientist because...

Enduring Understandings

Students will understand that...

  • Social scientists study people and how they interact with one another and their world.

  • Geographers, political scientists, historians, cultural anthropologists, and economists are all social scientists.

  • Social scientists study sources and ask questions.

Skills

Students will be able to...

  • Collect artifacts (pictures) to be used as sources

  • Ask discipline-specific questions related to the artifacts

  • Identify tools that social scientists use

  • Make a claim related to themselves as a social scientist

  • Give reasons for how they can demonstrate social science processes

Children's Rights

Unit Sketch

This inquiry focuses on the concept of universal human rights and fair treatment of all people through the compelling question “Do people around the world care about children’s rights?” This question highlights the idea that human rights, including the right to have one’s basic needs met, are to be universally ensured and protected. Around the world there are many instances of human rights violations, but there are also individuals, groups, and nations who work to protect and defend human rights. The focus on children’s rights—the idea that children have unique rights that apply to them as nonadult members of the global citizenry—offers students an opportunity to examine the idea that they have rights and to understand that they can have an impact on the world. Three supporting questions guide students in their inquiry by introducing the concept of universal human rights while identifying some of the specific rights of children, investigating children’s rights violations, and learning about how human rights are protected by individuals and groups around the world. By examining the featured sources in this inquiry, students deepen their understandings of global human rights issues and learn how people can improve the lives of others by protecting human rights.

Enduring Understandings

Students will understand that...

  • All people should be treated fairly and should have the opportunity to meet their basic needs.

  • Governments and citizens have a responsibility to protect human rights and treat others fairly.

  • Across time and place, communities and cultures have struggled with prejudice and discrimination as barriers to justice and equality for all people.

  • When faced with prejudice and discrimination, people can take steps to support social action and change.

Skills

Students will be able to...

  • Discuss what it means to care about something

  • Connect the concept of "caring" with global activism

  • Discuss ideas about rights

  • Use sources to identify universal rights of children and explain why they are important

  • Compare and contrast "social", "physical", "economic" and "well-being" as these concepts relate to children's rights

  • Illustrate and describe the importance of internationally accepted rights of children

  • Contribute to a classroom book on children's rights

  • Use sources to write and support claims about why some children's rights are violated around the world

  • Write reflective journal entries

  • Participate in a Chalk Talk/Silent Discussion protocol

  • Investigate and categorize examples of humanitarian aid

  • Use sources to write and support claims about the ways people work to protect children's rights

  • Respond to the question "Do people around the world care about children's rights?" by making an evidenced-based claim

  • Participate in a Take a Stand activity to discuss evidence-based claims

  • Take informed action on the topic of children's rights by creating a digital public service announcement and sharing it in the school

Cultural Diversity

Unit Sketch

This inquiry engages third graders in expanding their understandings of diverse cultures. The compelling question, “How does our culture make us similar and different?” is intellectually respectful of students who, by their nature, are interested in people and their similarities and differences. It allows for engagement with several social studies disciplines as students examine diverse cultures and histories around the globe.

Enduring Understandings

Students will understand that...

  • Culture is a way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs.

  • Culture influences similarities and differences in people around the world.

  • Historical events influence culture.

Skills

Students will be able to...

  • Identify elements of culture

  • Describe what culture looks like in pictures and words

  • Identify, describe and share student's individual cultural elements

  • Identify, describe and share Abu Dhabi/UAE cultural elements

  • Explain how culture influences the way people modify and adapt to their environments

  • Describe historical influences on cultures around the world

  • Explain how the cultural and environmental characteristics of places change over time

  • Compare developments within Abu Dhabi and the UAE over time

  • Compare life in Abu Dhabi and the UAE in the past and present

  • Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes in Abu Dhabi and the UAE

  • Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain historical events in the UAE

  • Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments in AD/UAE

  • Compare and contrast children's daily lives in countries around the world

  • Compare and contrast children's daily lives in AD/UAE

  • Gather information from multiple sources

  • Construct evidence-based arguments

  • Critique evidence-based arguments

Going Global: Country Case Studies

Unit Sketch

This inquiry follows directly from the previous inquiry on cultural diversity. After a whole-class case study of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates, students are ready to take on their first independent inquiry. The structure of the Abu Dhabi inquiry should be repeated by students with their own individual countries. After these independent inquiries, students engage in the summative performance task for their particular country of study. Finally, students take action by hosting a Cultural Diversity Fair for classmates and parents to share their learning.

Enduring Understandings

Students will understand that...

  • Culture is a way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs.

  • Culture influences similarities and differences in people around the world.

  • Historical events influence culture.

  • Different countries have more or less cultural diversity.

Skills

Students will be able to...

  • Research the country of their choice to complete a culture graphic

  • Research the country of their choice to construct an historical timeline

  • Compare and contrast cultural elements in the past and in the present

  • Research the country of their choice to create mini-biographies of important figures

  • Research the country of their choice to build a Daily Life of Children in (my Country) mini-poster

  • Compare and contrast their Daily Life of Children in (my Country) mini-poster with classmates' posters

  • Analyze charts and diagrams (SQ4) to determine the extent to which their country of choice is culturally diverse with regard to language, religion, heritage, and economic status

  • Construct an evidence-based argument that answers the question "How does culture make the people of (my country) the same and different?

  • Design and build a country booth

  • Participate in a grade three cultural diversity fair

Philanthropy and Volunteerism

Unit Sketch

This unit capitalizes on the Grade 3 Clothing Drive as the culminating experience. Students will research how kids their age and notable people (athletes, actors/actresses, celebrities, political figures, etc.) have given of their time, talent and money to help others. They will also research service experiences here at ACS and familiarize themselves with what's happening at each grade level. They will participate in the clothing drive and share the who, what, when, where and why with other elementary students to solicit their support. Finally, they will reflect on their experience with the clothing drive in relation to cost/benefit and commit to a philanthropic or volunteer experience in the future.

Enduring Understandings

Students will understand that...

  • There are costs and benefits associated with giving of time, talent and money.

Skills

Students will be able to...

  • Define the terms philanthropy, volunteerism, cost and benefit

  • Identify examples of philanthropy and volunteerism

  • Research related topics to philanthropy and volunteerism

  • Research service experiences at ACS

  • Participate in a clothing drive and reflect on their experience